Join 14,081+ bakers of all experience levels. In this newsletter, you will find recipes, guides, tips and tricks on how you can make bakery-quality bread and master those tricky doughs at home. I'm Matthew, a full-time baking professor and I'm excited to share all that I've learned in my 20 years as a professional chef.
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Home Again… and Dropping My Holiday Gift Guide + Biggest Sale of the Year
Published about 1 month ago • 8 min read
Hey Reader!
I’m back from NYC… and wow. What a week. New York was incredible the Food52 shoot, the energy, the food, all of it but honestly, the best part was coming home. My birthday was on the 26th, and while I did not really do anything big that day, seeing my kids again was everything. They made me little cards, jumped on me the second I walked in the door, and were way more excited about my birthday than I was.
And then my wife surprised me with this unreal cake from Steel Co Baking with tiny little breads on top. It was wild. I do not know how she pulled it off, but it was perfect.
It also feels amazing to be back to something that resembles normal life again. Fewer flights, fewer book-tour days, and a bit more actual time off. I have missed that.
This week I’ve got two things for you: a massive Black Friday sale that I cannot wait to share, and a really fun holiday gift guide filled with my favourite tools and ideas for bakers.
Let’s get into it.
In this week's newsletter, you will find:
Black Friday Starts Today: Get First Access
Black Friday Gift Guide: Perfect Gifts for Every Sourdough Baker
Beginner Sourdough: A Quick Reminder for Anyone Just Getting Started
Sourdough Biscotti with Pistachio and Cranberries 🍊✨
This Week in the Micro Bakery: First Panettone of the Season 🎄✨
Black Friday Starts Today: Get First Access
It is that time again and this is easily the biggest sale I run all year. Every Black Friday I bundle up my best baking resources, knock the prices way down, and open the doors for one long weekend. And because you are here on the newsletter, you get the chance to jump in early.
If you want the sale emails tomorrow at 4 pm, you need to click the link below. Only the people who click will get the Black Friday details. This keeps everything clean and avoids spamming anyone who is not interested.
Here is a preview of what is included this year:
Simplifying Sourdough
Simplifying Panettone
Simplifying Sourdough Pizza
The Baguette Course
The Fifty Best Recipes Workbook
The all-in-one bundle is returning for Black Friday with its biggest savings of the year.
I included a few of the messages I’ve received from bakers who used the courses. These notes truly keep me going, and I hope they inspire you, too.
Student panettone bake. The holiday season is officially here!
This sale only runs from Friday through Cyber Monday, and the discounts are the best you will see all year. If you have been waiting to level up your baking or grab a course before the holidays, this is the moment.
Once you tap the link, you are in. I will send the full details to you today at 4 pm sharp.
Black Friday Gift Guide: Perfect Gifts for Every Sourdough Baker
The holidays are sneaking up fast and this is one of the best weeks of the year to stock up on gifts for the bakers in your life, or to treat yourself to a few things that will make your baking even better. There are some amazing deals happening right now, so I wanted to put together a quick guide with my favourite tools, gear, and experiences to help you find something special.
Some of these links are affiliate links, but as always, I only recommend things I use and love.
1. Simply Bread Oven
If you’ve been thinking about levelling up your sourdough setup… this is the moment. Simply Bread just launched their biggest sale of the entire year, and my code SIMPLYDUFFY25 stacks on top of it for an extra discount. You can legitimately save a massive amount right now.
Real talk, I’ve been using this oven for years. It has baked thousands of loaves in my micro bakery, and it’s still the backbone of my operation. I was one of the first people to use it, and I’ve never looked back. It is consistent, powerful, simple to use, and incredibly reliable.
A few reasons I love it:
It bakes like a commercial deck oven (without the footprint)
Zero-fuss steam and heat recovery
Perfect for home bakers and small micro bakeries
A 24-hour text support line, literally game-changing
Light enough to move and set up anywhere
You can see it in action in my micro bakery videos
If you have been waiting, hoping, or debating… this is your sign. The discounts are real, and they won’t come back around until next year.
Use code SIMPLYDUFFY25 for an extra stacked discount on top of the Black Friday sale.
The most underrated baking tool on the planet. I am not exaggerating. Every bakery needs these and every home baker should have a set. They keep your drains clean, wipe down doughy hands, clean bowls easily, and just simplify your whole workflow. I use them every day.
My favourite thermometer for literally everything. Dough temperature, starter temperature, oven checks, panettone internal temp. It gives you a three-second reading and is insanely accurate. I love all the Thermoworks gear but this is the one I reach for the most.
A compact, efficient proofer that fits perfectly into a small kitchen. It lets you run consistent temperatures without taking over your counter. I added it to my setup this year and it has quickly become one of my favourites.
A brand new tool and a total game changer. Lightweight, no heavy cast iron, and it creates the perfect steaming environment for batards and boules. Great crust, great spring, great consistency. It also doubles as a beautiful counter top bread dome for storing your loaves.
If you are looking for a gift that gives skills, confidence, and a full baking journey from sourdough to panettone to baguettes, this is it. Bread Etc has become a national best seller thanks to you, and it makes an amazing gift for any baker at any level.
A reader baked my marble rye from Bread Etc and absolutely nailed it. Makes my whole week seeing these.
For the baker who wants the experience of a lifetime.
Imagine waking up in Paris with the smell of fresh croissants drifting through the window. The first few days wandering cafés and patisseries before heading into the Loire Valley where vineyards roll out like a painting. Michelin level dinners, private winery tastings, artisan visits, and a stay in a private chateau with a pool and gardens that feel unreal.
And at the heart of it all, a two day masterclass with MOF World Champion Alexandre Laumain at the historic Foricher mill. You bake side by side with me, with Alexandre, in a setting that feels like a dream.
Only twenty guests. A week that will never be repeated. The most immersive baking trip we have ever created.
Beginner Sourdough: A Quick Reminder for Anyone Just Getting Started
Every now and then, I have to remind myself that a lot of people reading this newsletter are baking their very first loaf. And honestly, that makes me so happy. This is where everything starts.
Earlier this year, I completely rewrote and re-shot my Beginner Sourdough Guide, and the response has been wild. It is one of the most visited pages on my entire site, and every week I get photos from people who used it to bake their first real loaf and crushed it. Nothing makes me happier.
If you are brand new, or if your starter is giving you attitude, or if your last loaf looked like a sad pancake… this guide was written for you.
A couple of quick reminders from the updated version:
Keep it simple at first. A good loaf comes from repetition, not fancy flour blends.
Pay attention to the dough's feel. If it is strong, smooth, and rising nicely, you are on track. If it feels slack or weak, it usually needs more time.
Warmth helps fermentation. You do not need exact temperatures — just keep the dough somewhere comfortable and draft-free.
Your starter is everything. If it is not rising well, give it a few strong feeds before baking. That alone fixes most issues.
You will make mistakes. Every baker does. The second or third loaf is almost always better than the first.
If you are ready to jump in (or restart with confidence), here is the full guide with step-by-step photos and a no-fail method:
Sourdough Biscotti with Pistachio and Cranberries 🍊✨
We made these again this week, and they reminded me why they are one of my favourite holiday bakes. They have that perfect biscotti crunch with a little chew in the centre, and the mix of pistachio, cranberry, and white chocolate tastes like Christmas in a cookie.
They use sourdough discard, they make the house smell unreal, and they are amazing for gifting. Wrap a few in parchment with a ribbon, and you look like you planned weeks in advance.
Why I think you will love them:
Festive and flavourful They taste fancy but are surprisingly easy to make.
Customizable Swap in lemon and poppy seed, cherry almond, double chocolate, or maple pecan.
Great shelf life They stay crunchy for days and freeze beautifully before dipping in chocolate.
If you want a simple but special bake to kick off the holiday season, this is a great one.
This Week in the Micro Bakery: First Panettone of the Season 🎄✨
The very first batch of the year is officially out of the oven, and it feels GOOD to be back in panettone mode.
This one was loaded with all my favourites: candied orange, candied lemon, tart cherries, raisins, white chocolate, and dark chocolate. A little classic, a little modern, super fragrant, and honestly, my whole studio smelled like Christmas.
Panettone season is always special for me. It is the one bake that pushes every skill you have: fermentation, dough strength, timing, scent, intuition, and I love that. It is… intense. But also insanely rewarding.
Here are a few quick tips if you are diving into your first (or tenth) panettone this year:
• Keep your pasta madre happy A strong, sweet, low-acid starter is everything. Give it consistent feeds, warm temps, and shorter fermentation windows. A healthy madre is 90 percent of your success.
• • Use the best ingredients you can Panettone is one of those bakes where the quality of your ingredients really shows. Great flour, fresh candied citrus, real vanilla, high-fat butter — they all make a massive difference in flavour and structure. This is not the bake to cut corners.
• Manage fermentation at every step Panettone dough has its own personality, and it will tell you exactly how it is feeling if you pay attention. Watch the dough more than the clock. You want strength, elasticity, and that smooth, almost glossy surface. If it feels sluggish, give it time. If it feels fast and lively, adjust. The entire bake is really just a series of tiny fermentation decisions.
• Do not skip the hang
It is the secret to keeping the crumb light and tall. Gravity is your friend here.
If you want to learn how I make panettone, the same formula I use for the 400–500 loaves I bake every yea,r you are in luck. My full panettone course (plus all my other resources) will be part of my massive Black Friday sale this weekend, and I will be sharing even more panettone content all through December.
Join 14,081+ bakers of all experience levels. In this newsletter, you will find recipes, guides, tips and tricks on how you can make bakery-quality bread and master those tricky doughs at home. I'm Matthew, a full-time baking professor and I'm excited to share all that I've learned in my 20 years as a professional chef.
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